Running on ‘executive time’: Trump’s super-light work schedule

The 71-year-old is facing claims he is unfit for office, as well of the spectre of being questioned as part of the investigation into Russian meddling in the US election. Picture: AP Photo/Mark HumphreySource:AP

DONALD Trump’s work schedule has been revealed, and it’s remarkably light for a US President, characterised by late starts and long lunches.

The former businessman typically arrives at the Oval Office at 11am and leaves at 6pm, with an hour for lunch in his private dining room. He spends a large portion of his day on “Executive Time”, which Axios reports is generally spent in his residence watching television, making calls and tweeting.

The secret schedule seen by the news and politics website shows the 71-year-old’s office timetable is significantly less demanding than the White House has indicated to the public.

We know the President sleeps for just a few hours a night, rising early to watch TV news and fire off controversial tweets.

This appears to segue into Executive Time between 8am and 11am, when he remains in his residence. The President then arrives in the West Wing for his first meeting, usually an intelligence briefing, reportedly pushed to a later slot at his demand.

Donald Trump typically arrives for work in the Oval Office at 11pm and leaves by 6pm. Picture: Larry McCormack/The Tennessean via APSource:AP

He is also said to have insisted upon an earlier finish time, having not enjoyed his initial packed schedule, which included breakfast meetings with business leaders. When travelling, he often works longer hours.

George W. Bush used to arrive in the Oval Office by 6.45am, while Barack Obama worked out before starting between 9am and 10am.

Mr Trump’s attitude to the presidency is notoriously unorthodox, with the former reality star refusing to follow protocol in dealing with the media and other world powers, preferring to communicate through hot-headed, off-the-cuff tweets.

The President’s work schedule is unusually light compared to his predecessors, featuring long periods of “Executive Time”. Picture: AFP Photo/Jim WatsonSource:AFP

IMPEACHMENT PREDICTIONS SWELL

Many commentators have begun seriously questioning his mental stability and whether he is fit for office following the publication of Michael Wolff’s explosive bookFire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, which revealed new details about his bizarre daily habits.

The book describes a paranoid Mr Trump going to bed at 6.30pm to eat McDonald’s, because of a lifelong fear of being poisoned. It portrays a chaotic White House, a president who did not expect to win the election and aides with no faith in his leadership. Melania is said to have cried when her husband beat Hillary Clinton.

Mr Trump responded by tweeting that he was “a very stable genius” and attacking former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who had reportedly called his son, Donald Trump Jr, “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in response to Axios: “The time in the morning is a mix of residence time and Oval Office time but he always has calls with staff, Hill members, cabinet members and foreign leaders during this time.

“The President is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen and puts in long hours and long days nearly every day of the week all year long. It has been noted by reporters many times that they wish he would slow down because they sometimes have trouble keeping up with him.”

I’ve had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!

Wolff claims his book and the response to it shows there is now widespread doubt in Mr Trump’s mental capacity to lead the country, and could signal the end of his presidency.

A psychiatrist has called for the President to be physically detained for an “emergency” mental health evaluation, sparking a debate about the professional ethics of “armchair” diagnosis.

Mr Trump has another black cloud hanging over him: he is expected to be interviewed in person by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Former US Solicitor General Ken Starr, who headed the investigation that led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment, said overnight it was “probable” the President would have to meet Mr Mueller to answer questions regarding alleged collusion with the Russians by his campaign team.